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I believe a trophy is in the eye of the beholder not the numbers behind it and I would suspect the eastmans crew would agree. Congratulations to the kid for his trophy. The idea of an animal only being a trophy if it scores a certain number is part of the problem with "trophy" hunters. What happened to having fun in the great outdoors and enjoying your time in it and if you are able to harvest an animal that is just a part of the experience, IMHO...

I believe a trophy is in the eye of the beholder not the numbers behind it and I would suspect the eastmans crew would agree. Congratulations to the kid for his trophy. The idea of an animal only being a trophy if it scores a certain number is part of the problem with "trophy" hunters. What happened to having fun in the great outdoors and enjoying your time in it and if you are able to harvest an animal that is just a part of the experience, IMHO...

Dewey

100% agreement

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Blew the dust off a bear monday in the mt emily unit but could find him. Saw a great big cinamon colored boar he was a little to far for a shot though. Could walk 15ft without seeing a pile of bear crap.

Has Oregon sent your tooth information back yet, just wondering how old your sow was.

Still waiting on that one elkslayer, but the bear was taken in to the ODFW office and they aged it at the 2.5 3.5 yrs. They also said that the bears are staying smaller at the moment and this is a good size for a sow on the coast range. I missed a nice big boar at 365yds a couple of weeks earlier.

For me, this was my first bear. I'm still learning a lot about bear hunting and while it may not be the "trophy bear" that everyone gets excited about, I am proud of this kill. It was not easy. I took time to research the area I was hunting, find the spot that I believed would hold bear due to food source, water source, cover and protection, and then I hunted this draw on 4 separate occasions. I could hear the bears tearing stumps up on a couple of occasions but never got to see them. Finally this sow revealed herself and I was successful. It was a steep downhill shot, with a new gun I was unfamiliar with at 180yds. So for me this is a trophy. No one showed me where or how to hunt this unit; I learned a great deal and maybe next time by "trophy" will be bigger. But to me it was still a successful hunt.

Add to that, on the coastal range bears have become much more prolific, as have cougar. The deer and elk population are impacted as their young can often be the food source. I feel I've also been doing my part of effective and ethical management. I know people who have been hunting bear for many more years than me who haven't even had the opportunity of a shot this season yet. I'm delighted with my start and growth in learning about successful bear hunting

Hey Leveller. You shouldn't have to explain yourself. If that bear was a trophy to you that's all that matters. I'm still trying to get my first bear. Great job!

You're so right, sjsmallfield. My hope though is to help others widen their appreciation of what a trophy CAN be, and not get stuck in a rut (excuse the pun) of only "big is beautiful". Also I've hopefully encouraged others, like yourself, who are working hard to get their first trophy too. Keep up the great work, keep putting yourself out there and I know you will be successful!